YEMMYnistinghttp://freethoughtblogs.com/yemmynisting
Proudly Feminist, Proudly Bisexual, Proudly Atheist.Mon, 30 Mar 2015 14:20:35 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.1Periods: The Shame and Shaminghttp://freethoughtblogs.com/yemmynisting/2015/03/30/periods-the-shame-and-shaming/
http://freethoughtblogs.com/yemmynisting/2015/03/30/periods-the-shame-and-shaming/#commentsMon, 30 Mar 2015 02:40:16 +0000http://freethoughtblogs.com/yemmynisting/?p=3489I am not a fan of the menstrual cycle but i understand it is a natural part of making new human lives and this is great. If there was any intelligent designer, aka God, women wouldn’t need to bleed every month for new human lives to be possible, and this is one reason i can say God is not a woman.

It is sad that the society portrays menstruation as an obscene, dirty thing women should be ashamed of. As a teenager, I was scared and ashamed to go into chemists’ shops to purchase sanitary pads and it did not help that the people behind the counters were usually men. Most times, I found myself going from one shop to the other, praying and hoping there would be a woman behind the counter. If the shame i felt could kill, i would have died at the spot!

Thanks to feminism and the liberation it brings, I now buy my sanitary pads and tampons with pride. Gone are the days I made extra efforts to keep my sanitary pads hidden under the bulk of my shopping, now i make a point of not hiding it under any grocery/shopping. This ‘little’ act feels like liberation from century old shackles.

Also in an effort to demystify the myths, break the taboo and shame associated with menstruation, I discuss openly with my son about any menstrual related problems i have.

Growing up, the time I ever had to talk about my periods with my parents or the adults around me, including class teachers, was all about the lecture and stern reminder that with menstruation comes the risk of pregnancy. I remember getting my first period and immediately told it was a warning not to mess around with men. Subsequently, having my periods right on schedule every month was a way of confirming to the adults around me that I was not sexually active or at least not pregnant. My periods became a way for people around me to police my body and sexual activities. Growing up in a society where sex education is almost taboo, my monthly periods seemed like the inaudible way of saying, “Hey, I am not pregnant!”

There is also the unfortunate religious stigma surrounding menstruation. In many religions, including Christianity under which I was brought up, menstruation is viewed as a dirty thing to be avoided. A menstruating woman is referred to as unclean and is forbidden from entering the House of God or going near temples. The bible in Leviticus 15:19 says,

“When a woman has a discharge, and the discharge in her body is blood, she shall be in her menstrual impurity for seven days, and whoever touches her shall be unclean until the evening. And everything on which she lies during her menstrual impurity shall be unclean.”

Yeah, WTF is the appropriate response! At the time, I was an ardent churchgoer and i remember feeling sad when i could not attend church services with my family, due to the monthly ‘curse’.

Religion further entrenches the stigma attached to menstruation. Menstruating women are made to feel unclean, dirty, unworthy and a freak just because they bleed from the vagina every month.

Never mind the science behind it.

Never mind that is what makes procreation possible.

Never mind that it signifies an important part of keeping the human race alive.

Never mind that it ensures the continued survival of our species because as far as religion and patriarchy are concerned, a menstruating woman is yet another example of why women are the ‘weaker’ sex.

Is it any surprise that women have learned to be ashamed of that time of the month?

Is it any surprise that many men go “Eew”, pull a disgusted face at the mention of menstruation?

Is it any surprise that it is considered ok to post a picture of a bloodied nose or advertise a bleeding gum to sell mouthwash, but it is not ok to post a picture of a woman with a spot of menstrual stain?

Is it any surprise that Instagram would categorise a picture of a woman asleep with a spot of menstrual blood on her pyjamas and menstrual stains on bed-sheet as an obscene image that must be taken off its site, even though most women have had this experience?

Is it any surprise that some people would report this image as obscene?

Source- Rapi Kaur

When Rupi Kaur, a student at the University of Waterloo, Canada, posted the above image which is a part of her photoseries project on Instagram, it was deleted by Instagram, citing violation of ‘Community Guidelines’.

Rupi kaur responded with:

Thank you @instagram for providing me with the exact response my work was created to critique. you deleted a photo of a woman who is fully covered and menstruating stating that it goes against community guidelines when your guidelines outline that it is nothing but acceptable. the girl is fully clothed. the photo is mine. it is not attacking a certain group. nor is it spam. and because it does not break those guidelines i will repost it again. i will not apologize for not feeding the ego and pride of misogynist society that will have my body in an underwear but not be okay with a small leak. when your pages are filled with countless photos/accounts where women (so many who are underage) are objectified. pornified. and treated less than human. thank you.

This image is a part of my photoseries project for my visual rhetoric course. you can view the full series at rupikaur.com

I bleed each month to help make humankind a possibility. my womb is home to the divine. a source of life for our species. whether i choose to create or not. but very few times it is seen that way. in older civilizations this blood was considered holy. in some it still is. but a majority of people. societies. and communities shun this natural process. some are more comfortable with the pornification of women. the sexualization of women. the violence and degradation of women than this. they cannot be bothered to express their disgust about all that. but will be angered and bothered by this. we menstruate and they see it as dirty. attention seeking. sick. a burden. as if this process is less natural than breathing. as if it is not a bridge between this universe and the last. as if this process is not love. labour. life. selfless and strikingly beautiful.

Instagram once again took down the image. Rupi kaur responded with an appeal on tumblr:

Dear tumblr family,

Instagram has chosen to once again, take down this image for violating community guidelines. Despite the fact that about 95% of comments were beautiful. Flowering. And in support.

This just goes to show who is sitting behind the desk. And whose controlling the show. Whose controlling the media and who is censoring us.

It’s sad in this world. That this is still happening. I know that some communities and cultures go out of their way to shun and oppress a woman on her period. I guess Instagram is another one of them.

Some women aren’t allowed in their religious place of worship. Out of their homes. To do certain things. And are told they are sick. As if the period is a common cold. Yes. This is here in North America. I have been hospitalized many times because of issues associated with my period. I have been suffering from a sickness related to my period. And ever since I have been working so hard to love it. Embrace it. Celebrate it. Even thought it’s given me so much pain in the past few years. and they want to tell me I should be quiet about this. That all of this we experience collectively does not need to be seen. Just felt secretly behind closed doors. That’s why this is important. Because when I first got my period my mother was sad and worried. And they want to censor all that pain. Experience. Learning. No.

I am going to share the photo again once I figure out how to go about it. I would appreciate if you could “at” instagram and express your thoughts. Or even share the photo on whatever social media platform.

Their patriarchy is leaking.

Their misogyny is leaking.

We will not be censored.

Many women suffer from endometriosis. Every month they endure excruciating menstrual pain. Unfortunately, they can’t discuss this condition openly because of the stigma associated with menstruation. They learn to live with the pain and shame of menstruation.

Source- Rupi Kaur

It would be great if we learned to embrace our bodies as women and tell the society to stop its relentless shaming of women’s bodies.

As a friend puts it “To all women out there who feel ashamed or suffer from heavy cramps: try to bleed with pride! It helps”

I was glad when Rupi Kaur announced that Instagram finally restored the picture it deleted of the woman with the menstrual bloodstains, with an apology.

]]>http://freethoughtblogs.com/yemmynisting/2015/03/02/religion-secularism-and-fundamentalism-a-panel-discussion/feed/0Chapel Hill Shootings: Condemning religion does not an Islamophobe make, Atheism does not a superior moral being makehttp://freethoughtblogs.com/yemmynisting/2015/02/16/chapel-hills-shootings-condemning-religion-does-not-an-islamophobe-make-and-atheism-does-not-a-superior-moral-being-make/
http://freethoughtblogs.com/yemmynisting/2015/02/16/chapel-hills-shootings-condemning-religion-does-not-an-islamophobe-make-and-atheism-does-not-a-superior-moral-being-make/#commentsMon, 16 Feb 2015 04:59:33 +0000http://freethoughtblogs.com/yemmynisting/?p=3458The gruesome murders of Deah Barakat, 23, Yusor Abu-Salha, 21, and Razan Abu-Salha, 19, all Muslims, in the gun-toting hand of Craig Stephen Hicks, 46, an atheist, is appalling and a tragedy. I cannot begin to imagine what the families of these victims must be going through.

According to the law enforcement official briefed on the investigation, Tuesday’s altercation started after Hicks found a car belonging to one of the victims in what he claimed was his parking space. Then Hicks went to the victim’s condo and shot all three people in a confrontation.

Hicks turned himself in to police Tuesday night and is being held in the Durham County Jail without bond. He is cooperating with investigators, police said Wednesday morning.

Mohammad Abu-Salha The father of the female victims feels differently, he believes it is an hate crime. He stated-

We have no doubt that the way they looked and the way they believed had something to do with this

Karen Hicks, the soon to be ex-wife of Craig Stephen Hicks expressed her shock and sympathy, she however stated-

This incident had nothing to do with religion or the victims’ faith, but in fact was related to the longstanding parking disputes that my husband had with the neighbors

According to Craig Stephen Hicks’ neighbour, Samantha Maness it was an equal opportunity anger situation.

I have seen and heard him be very unfriendly to a lot of people in this community,” Samantha Maness, another resident of the Finley Forest development, told the Times. She said that Hicks displayed an “equal opportunity anger” and that he made “everyone feel uncomfortable and unsafe.

I watched in bewilderment as some atheists assume extreme atheism was to blame for the murders. Some have stated that they are considering no longer identifying as atheists because of atheists like Craig Stephen Hicks.

Wait a minute, are we not quick to point out that atheism is just a non-belief in god and that our non-belief does not confer on us superior morality? We are humans and we are not above exhibiting vile human traits. If that is the case, why is it so inconceivable that an atheist turned his gun on his neighbours because of a parking spot dispute? Why assume it must have religious connotations without any evidence other than the facts that the victims were Muslims and the killer was an atheist who spoke against religion on his Facebook wall?

Why be quick to jump to the conclusion that Craig Stephen Hicks would not have acted the way he did if his neighbours were Christians, Muslims or even atheists? After all, I have had fellow atheists threaten me with rape! So really, why is this angle so inconceivable?

There is no denying that there are people, including some atheists, who hate Muslims. Unfortunately, we have witnessed a growth of Islamophobia and profiling amongst popular atheists ‘leaders’. Such people need to be called out. However, we should not be so quick to jump on the “Hey, that is Islamophobia and extreme atheism” band wagons, whenever someone so much as speak against Islam or Islamism. BTW, wtf is extreme atheism. Is it a new form of terrorism? I speak out against religion on social media including on Facebook. I am anti-theism. Does that make me an extreme atheist? According to some people, speaking out against religion so openly makes one an extreme atheist.

My neighbours are a young Asian family, the wife and sister both wears hijabs. I get along pretty well with them. When I moved in, they were kind enough to share their wireless password with me before I got mine installed. When they had a new baby and had his hair cut for the first time, they were gracious enough to bring me food to mark the occasion. They explained that the first haircut is a traditional, religious landmark. Even though I had just made my own dinner, I opted to eat the food they brought me. Back in Nigeria, I would have been advised by overzealous Christians not to eat such food, because of its ‘spiritual’ connotation. In fact, in most Nigerian Christian households, food like that ends up in the bins when the neighbour’s back is turned. It is not really about Islamophobia, as same would apply if the food was from a Christian neighbour who was from a different Christian denomination. It is about fear of anything spiritual that differs from their own spiritual practice. Pastors are always preaching against eating ‘spiritual’ food. However, since I have no such ‘spiritual’ delusion, I devoured my Muslim neighbours’ food with relish.

Now, if something ever went wrong between atheist me and my Muslim neighbours, and (Holy FSM forbids) I got so enraged I violently attacked my Muslim neighbours during a dispute, would people be right to jump to the conclusion that I attacked them because i am an extremist atheist who hates Muslims! Would my Facebook posts against religion, especially Islam, be enough proof that it was a hate crime? This would be a wrong and ridiculous conclusion.

There is nothing in the news to suggest that the murderous Craig Stephen Hicks pulled his gun on these three young Muslims while screaming “Praise be to Evolution, Darwin, Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Holy Flying Spaghetti Monster” or whatever the term for ‘ I don’t believe there is a God’ is.

Atheism is a non-belief in theism, nothing more, and nothing less. It does not come with morality. It does not come with moral values or principles. It has no moral code or commandments. It is not a religion and has no dogmas. It is simply non-belief in an asserted claim. For example, if anyone asserts that Elvis Presley is alive, and I say, no, he is not alive but if you proof that he is alive, I will take your assertion seriously. This is simply a non-belief in a ridiculous claim. Theism makes the assertion that there is God, atheism simply says, no there is no evidence to support such claim. There will not be atheism if there is no theism.

Relinquishing the atheist label because of ‘bad’ atheists?

What baffles me is why some atheists are saying they are thinking of not identifying as atheists anymore because some atheists give atheism a bad name.My problem with this line of thinking is this-

Does the action of another takes away your non-belief in God? As long as you have a non-belief in theism, you are an atheist. The actions of others do not change this fact. It is a term with well-established meaning and your non-belief in god falls under the established meaning of atheism. The actions of other atheists will not change your non-belief in theism.

When atheists try so hard to get offended at the failings of other atheists, it is almost as if they are ascribing to atheists superior moral values. And by so doing, ascribing to atheism a moral value it does not have.

I do hold sceptical thinkers to a higher level of rational thinking. For example, I expect them to be able to rationally examine evidence before them, and understand why social ills like racism, sexism misogyny, and homophobia cannot be rationally justified.

However, I understand perfectly well that a non-belief in god (Atheism) is not a moral indicator. The fact that someone does not belief in supernatural beings does not tell me anything about their values, their morality, or principles. What it only does is tell me they do not have a God delusion.

Which was why I recognised early enough that atheism is just what it is, atheism. If I wanted to associate with fellow atheists who share my passion for social justice issues, I would actively have to seek out such atheists groups, for example, for me, Atheismplus fills that void.

When I joined some atheists groups on Facebook, I quickly realised that I could not fit into some of these groups. For goodness sake, some of those atheists groups are a haven for bigoted, sexist, racist people. I was not prepared for the torrent of racism, sexism, and patriarchal bullshit some members of these atheists groups spew. I had to remove myself from almost all the atheists group I joined on Facebook and i definitely would not go hang out with the atheists groups on reddit!

It would be incorrect to say I cannot identify as an atheist anymore because some atheists are racist, sexist, bigoted assholes. As long as I still do not believe in theists’ claim that there is a God or Gods, I remain an atheist.

Is hating religion same as hating religious people?

We must learn to distinguish the difference between condemning religion and hating religious people.

I hate religion. I resent the privileges religious people enjoy just because of their religion. For example, just a few days ago, I boarded a London red bus eagerly looking forward to a peaceful ride home after a tiring day, only for the woman sitting right behind me to start preaching in the bus. She was screaming so loudly about hell and urged passengers to accept Jesus as their personal lord and saviour. She even prayed for us sinners. She was a black woman and from her accent, a fellow Nigerian. The driver cast a few glances her way and I was hoping he would tell the woman to STFU or get out, but it seems the driver was not sure what the protocol was, so he just kept casting this disapproving look without really doing anything about the noise pollution. Other passengers also looked uncomfortable. Now, imagine if I had started blasting Lady Gaga’s music from my phone in the bus, there would be no end to the number of passengers willing to scold me and demand that I turn down the volume of my music. However, if a religious person pollutes the air with double the volume of noise, it is OK, cos, well, it is the word of God. It is this type of idiosyncratic privilege that I find disgusting.

I hate religion and I will say so as long as religion wears that sacred, untouchable cloak. Religion messed and still messes with my life. To some, religion is just that thing they read about in the papers but for people like me, it holds bad memories and it is a constant feature that affects my everyday life.

I remember being accused of witchcraft by pastors as a young girl. While the beach is an exotic holiday resort to many, to some of us, it brings back bad memories. African spiritual churches see the beach as a place to cast away demons. I remember being taken to the beach and beaten with brooms by prophets to cast away the demons they claim were residing in me. So yeah, I hate religion.

I remember the counter-accusations of witchcraft that tore my family apart. So yeah, I hate religion.

And in recent news, I remember the lobby religious organisations embarked on to pass the Nigerian jail the gay, bisexual, transgender bill. I remember that all the lawmakers cited religion as a reason they voted in support of 14 years imprisonment for anyone who engages in same-sex relationship. I understand that due to religious bullshit, religion was and is still readily used to justify why I should never be free in my own birth land, Nigeria. So yeah, I hate religion.

I know that religion is the reason cited by old men for taking young girls as child rides. I understand that as soon as they quote the Quran and mention Sharia law, we are not allowed to call them paedophiles, because well, it is their religion. So yeah, I hate religion.

I understand that religion is a cancer that is fast turning my continent, Africa, into a very homophobic, biphobic and transphobic place.

I understand that religion is the reason explicitly stated by Boko Haram as to why they bomb schools, abduct schoolgirls and kill infidels.

However, let us get something straight, the fact that I hate religion does not translate to hating religious people.

Saying I have no respect for Islam, is not the same as saying Muslims do not deserve the respect, human rights, and dignity every other human enjoys

Speaking of my contempt for Christianity does not mean I despise Christians.

Speaking out against religion does not mean I think religious believers are despicable people.

Islam is a religion. Islamism is an ideology, a dangerous religious ideology. I believe every democratically inclined person would hate Islamism. It is only rational that people who favour separation of State and Religion would speak out against any ideology that seeks to infuse religion into state politics, especially one like Islamism that in this modern age, still seeks to Islamise society, violently.

Muslims are people too. Christians are people too. Hindus are people too. Mormons are people too. Sciencetologists are people too. We are all humans first and foremost, and regardless of our religious beliefs, we are all entitled to be covered under the universal declaration of human rights.

Religious believers have the freedom to practice their religion; however, they don’t have the right to insist that aspects of their religion that infringe on other people’s rights, be respected.

It is rational to fear anything that causes harm; therefore, it is rational to fear religion.

It is rational to fear Islam. A fear of Islam and Islamism does not mean a fear of Muslims

It is rational to fear Christianity and Christian fundamentalists. A fear of Christianity does not translate to general fear of Christians.

Religious people do not automatically pose a threat just because they are religious. Announcing that you are a Christian or a Muslim won’t send me cowering in fear, just because I have a rational fear of the harms religion causes. We should be able to distinguish between harmful ideology and people who are not harmful to us even if they are religious.

Chapel Hills shooting and Atheists fundraising

I am sceptical of atheists rushing to set up fundraising in the name of victims of Craig Stephen Hicks. It is as if as atheists, we have to prove that we are not all bad. In my opinion, this gives the impression that atheists have something to prove. While I think setting up fundraising to help those in need is great, however, I consider it an act of humanism, not atheism. Would atheists’ organisations have set up a fundraising in the name of victims of Craig Stephen Hicks if an atheist did not carry out the murder? Can we honestly say, “Yes, it would have been set up if atheism was not at all a contention in the Chapel Hill’s shootings”?

Aids, grants and fundraising can be done under humanism. If I need to identify as a do-gooder without god, I have humanism for that. The good thing is, I do not even have to come under any label before I perform a good deed for my society. However, if I wish to do so with my fellow atheists, I have atheismplus and social justice warrior cap to wear.

To clarify, there is nothing wrong in coming together under a group, be it humanism or atheism, to raise money to do good in our society. However, just as we scrutinise the motives of religious believers when they make donations, we should also scrutinise our own motives. Therefore, as uncomfortable as it is, we must ask ourselves the question, “Is the fundraising in the name of Chapel Hills victims just to prove that not all atheists are bad?” If that is the case, then, that is definitely a motive I cannot get behind.

I just do not think atheists have a duty to prove that not all atheists are bad. Atheism is not about morality. We should not be eager to ascribe moral values to atheism.

I am a vocal atheist who will continue to speak out against the harm religion causes. If I ever had a falling-out with a believer, feel free to look beyond ‘Religionphobia’, and if they are Muslims, don’t be too eager to conclude that it was a case of Islamophobia. For all you now, I was just a human exhibiting human trait. Anger, violence, showing off, defending my territory, and just being a general asshole are known human characteristics. Expressing all these and more are possible with or without religion. Do not ascribe a reason to my motive; listen to why I said I did what I did.

So dear atheists, why not wait and listen to what Craig Stephen Hicks has to say about why he committed his atrocious murder. We should not have long to wait as the police said, he handed himself in and is cooperating with police investigation.

One thing we are sure of is that he is first and foremost a murderer. He is a gun loving, and gun-toting murderer. For all we know, his neighbours could have been Christians, Hindus, agnostics, or, atheists and he would still have gone into their house charging in with his gun and killed them all.

Do not rush to disassociate yourself from atheism because of assholes like Craig Stephen Hicks.

My condolences to the families of the victims as they seek answers to why their family members were so brutally murdered by Craig Stephen Hicks.

]]>http://freethoughtblogs.com/yemmynisting/2015/02/16/chapel-hills-shootings-condemning-religion-does-not-an-islamophobe-make-and-atheism-does-not-a-superior-moral-being-make/feed/10Losing weight is not an endorsement or indictment of another woman’s body: Stop the Fatphobia!http://freethoughtblogs.com/yemmynisting/2015/02/09/losing-weight-is-not-an-endorsement-or-indictment-of-another-womans-body-stop-the-fatphobia/
http://freethoughtblogs.com/yemmynisting/2015/02/09/losing-weight-is-not-an-endorsement-or-indictment-of-another-womans-body-stop-the-fatphobia/#commentsMon, 09 Feb 2015 15:02:15 +0000http://freethoughtblogs.com/yemmynisting/?p=3422I posted some recent pictures of myself on my facebook wall with the following caption:

Dividends of working out at the gym. I can have a sleepover at my mum’s and not bother to take extra clothing, just so i can walk away with some of her new clothes and of course jewellery. Now, she can’t say, “Yemisi, don’t take it, it is not your size!” lol! Jacket- My sister’s (Now mine)Red sweater underneath- My mum’s (Now mine)Brand new Leggings- My mum’s (Now mine)Hair – All mine, just nicely retouched for me by my mum. Winning all round!

Funny enough, a facebook friend who also identifies as an atheist came on the post thread and left a series of comments. These comments exposed an underlying hatred of plus size women, sexism and showed an endorsement of street harassment , cos well, according to him, women are supposed to provide visual orgasms for strangers on the streets, and you should be ashamed if you are not deemed sexy enough by strangers. BTW, he thinks only outsiders can decide if you are sexy or not.

Anyway, I decided to share these exchanges because, you never know just how many people especially those who claim to be rational thinkers, share these vile opinions.

He asked

Is fatness or bigness not sexy. Again?

Somehow , to him my losing weight was an indictment on my body-positive at all size stance.

Luckily before I saw his comment, my good friend posted this beautiful response.

Everyone is sexy to someone and everyone is sexy not only because of their body or outside but the inside counts at least just as much if not more. The most important thing about sexyness is however that YOU feel it in YOUR OWN body. And whatever needs to be done to make you feel that way about yourself is absolutely ok. Even if your really big in an unhealthy way you still can feel sexy just as some women need to be skinny to feel good. The wonderful fact is that Yemisi discovered her own body in a new perspective and listened to herself not to people who told her to stop eating chocolate and not to people who said a black woman needs to have some love handles. She looked sexy before and she does so now but she obviously feels so much better herself so applause her, she took a big step, she changed something that was hard to change: habits! Well done, Yemisi! I am proud of you! You look super!

Thanks, dear! You said much of what I would have said.

The power to feel sexy lies within us; it is ours whatever shape, size or age we are. We should never let anyone take away that power. Thanks , again!

Of course, I had to respond to the ill made comment.

What on earth about my pictures or the caption made you asked “Is fatness or bigness not sexy. Again?”

Why would you even jump to such an illogical correlation?

Do you think fat/big people do not go to the gym?

Do you assume fat/big people are unsexy or unhealthy?

Do you assume fat/big people are lazy?

Even if you say you don’t think so, unfortunately that is what your one-line comment/question implies.

Even if your comment was an attempt to be funny or sarcastic, it is wrong, assumptive, condescending, and feeds on social stereotypes.

Even though I understand that I do not owe anyone an explanation for why I look the way I do, why I workout at the gym or don’t workout at the gym, nevertheless, I will still proceed to point out some facts to you and every other person who has thought or is thinking along same line of your comment.

I am a big bold and beautiful woman and I will always be a big, bold and beautiful woman (BBW). That is the way I like me. As it is, I am also conscious of staying fit and be able to literally kick asses if need be. Staying physically fit means at least I have a fighting chance of physically defending myself if an asshole attacks me in this patriarchal world where men feel entitled to everything.

While I might not be able to guarantee how healthy I will always be (Cos health is not always ours to control), I know I will always be sexy at whatever size, shape or age. How do I know this? Because I do not live my day waiting for people to validate my beauty or sexiness.

I am sexy and I know it, so I assert it. I assert it at whatever shape, size or age I am.

My sexiness is mine to assert, not for others to give.

So yeah, the power and control of how I feel about my body is within me, not with family members, outsiders, online friends and certainly not in the hands of the media.

Keeping control of my body and mental health as much as I can also means I get to love my body unconditionally and treat it with the special care and love it deserves. And if that means shedding some weight, working out at the gym, not eating as much ice-cream and chocolate cookies at a go as I would want, then I say, my body is worth it. It is my choice, not that of others.

My decision to work out at the gym and shed some weights is not in any way an indictment or validation of any other person’s shape, size, health or sexiness.

My body is not on earth to validate or shame others. Your question is what makes others feel ashamed of their bodies, not my work out, not my pics and certainly not the caption of these pictures.

Now, read the caption of these pictures again. It did not say “Dividends of working out, feeling sexy and heathy again”. To summarise it, it says , “dividends of working out…able to ransack my mum’s wardrobe and walk away in her clothes, winning all round”

I think you need to rethink your comment and attitude towards this post. Again, Even if your comment was an attempt to be funny or sarcastic, it is wrong, assumptive, condescending, and feeds on social stereotypes.

Well, rather than apologise for his assumption, he proceeded to justify it.

That means if your mum had been very fat and you want to steal her clothes, you would have ordered for more chocolates and eaten more junks just to steal those clothes?

The truth is, it is unhealthy to be too fat. Whether it is sexy is not your judgement. it is the judgement of outsiders who get their visual orgasm by looking at you. Stop making it look like every judgement must always be from self. You need the validation of the public at times. That is why we are social animals.

Take a sample of men. A higher percentage of them don’t find this woman sexy. She may feel sexy but that is contrary to societal judgement. Well, she can go and live alone. It is not healthy likewise. What I am saying is, it is not healthy even before talking about sexy. I wont fall for personal solace when the right thing is not done.

He posted a meme of a naked big sized white woman on top of a small sized white man. I knew then that he had a serious case of fatphobia. And my response to the crap he spewed-

You obviously have a misguided, bigoted, up-your-ass opinion of yourself as the arbiter of what a sexy or healthy woman looks like.

First and foremost, under whatever circumstances, do not, I repeat, DO NOT post any picture or meme of a woman on my wall to body shame her. That meme you posted to body shame the woman in the picture and every woman her size, is totally unacceptable on my wall. Got it?

Secondly, whatever made you used the word “steal her clothes”? What in my pictures or caption made you believe those clothes were stolen and not taken with my mum’s consent. You do know the meaning of steal, don’t you?

Now, to address the fatphobia and fatshaming in your comments. Read the following comments and let them sink in.

You wrote “Whether it is sexy is not your judgement. it is the judgement of outsiders who get their visual orgasm by looking at you.”

This is the stupidest thing I have read on the internet in a long time, and believe me; I do come across a lot of stupid comments online.

Whatever makes you think as a woman/ human being, I walk on the streets for the purpose of providing visual orgasms for outsiders. Damn, I didn’t know my purpose in life as a woman is to look sexy and provide visual orgasms for strangers on the streets.

No wonder men feel entitled to ask women they barely know to smile for them on the streets.

No wonder millions of women encounter street harassment from pricks like you who think women are walking the streets to look beautiful and sexy for men.

Yes, I just called you a prick because that is the name for those who think women are supposed to give “visual orgasm” to outsiders and live for strangers to pronounce them sexy.

You wrote – “Take a sample of men. A higher percentage of them don’t find this woman sexy. She may feel sexy but that is contrary to societal judgement. Well, she can go and live alone. It is not healthy likewise”

I must ask, did you take leave of your senses before typing that?

According to your above comment –

A woman is not allowed to feel sexy whatever her size.

What the society thinks of a woman is more important than what a woman thinks of herself?

A woman needs the validation of outsiders before she can claim to be sexy.

And if a woman does not like what the society thinks of her, instead of calling out the society on its fucked up stereotypes, she should go and live alone?

Wow, what a comment from a rational thinker!

I have always stated on my wall that I am allergic to ignorance, maybe you thought I was only allergic to religious ignorance. The thing is, I am allergic to ignorance, and that include sexist, bigoted, patriarchal, body shaming crap that you are spewing.

I am body positive. And I will not encourage that you spew such bigoted, ignorant, hate filled, body shaming crap on my wall. Here is a blog post I wrote on fatshaming. Fat shaming is ugly and body shaming of any kind is disgusting. Read it with your rational thinkers’ cap on. You stand to learn a thing or two about fatphobia, fat shaming.

The fact that you care about what others think of your size or body does not mean we all think the same way, social animals or not. Do not project your insecurities about your body or crave for social acceptance unto others.

Unless you are the person’s doctor, you are not in a position to tell anyone they are unhealthy, especially not merely by looking at their size.

Above all, learn to live and lets live. Fat people or anyone of any size can eat whatever they want to eat. It is not your business. It is their body. Their choice. Their Decision. Their right. No one cares about what you think is sexy or not. Keep that to your ass!

Fat shaming is ugly and body shaming of any kind is disgusting.

Well, he did offered a nonpology for using the word steal, but still insisted he had a DUTY to tell fat people to get off their lazy ass and lose weight.

Sorry for using the word ”steal’ i didnt mean it literaly …I thought you will know that…..

Now because of’live and let live’ personal opinions are not to be aired again? It may look like shaming but some of them need help- diatary, medical and physical,……it is not bad if we tell them to seek such. stop making a case for what is not

Well, I had to remind him

Personal opinions are what they are, “PERSONAL”, so keep them to yourself. People do not need to hear what you think of their body, especially when what you have to offer is negative.

And YES, it is bad to tell someone to seek help simply because you consider them ‘fat’, especially when it is unsolicited advice. Truly, do not force your personal opinions of another person’s body on them.

But would he learn, bet not!

Yes! “Negative” opinions are always given by honest friends…. The truth might be bitter but it is better bitter and acted upon than sugar- coated .

It is their body…. But many would rather look away and joke about it in beer parlour than tell the person to seek medical, dietary and physical help. Who knows how many over -fat people are reading this and will be motivated to seek physical help by throwing themselves in the gym? My friend just paid a huge s!me of money to a trainer to help his over weight wife. She is getting healthier now. Both painful and painless advice should be listened to…. The positive results is what is important!… you can tell me it is their body, fine. Yet, I am permitted to also advise them. Not all advice or opinion are solicited. I thought you will know that! Some are just given out of concerns….not all advice are taken either.

I had to enlighten him again

It takes an idiotic asshole to make jokes about another person’s body behind their back, be it in beer parlours or wherever. If you think such behaviour is in anyway justified, you are an asshole too.

Another person’s body is not your business. Calling your friend’s wife overweight and speaking of her as if she is an invalid who needed help just because you consider her fat, speaks volume about your character, not her weight or health.

Now, enough of your fatphobia on my wall. Zip it or be thrown out.

Well, look who felt insulted!

The way you are throwing insults every now and then is worrisome! I will look those insults away!

You can justify your unrealistic principle of individualism but he confided in me that he no longer find her appealing… and I advise he make her what he wanted by paying for her gym.… or buying some at home . She is not invalid. But these are issues that cost some people their happiness. Continue to live in denial

And he flounced out with

I am out now!

P.S. I don’t hate fat people. I am only giving advice. HATE is such a big word.

Oh dear! Well, i had to tell him-

I don’t do insults, I do facts. YES, it takes assholes to make jokes about another person’s body, especially in the way you described. And believe me, ‘Fat’ people do not care whether you love or hate them, get over your bigoted ass!

No one cares about your opinion of their body. Stop forcing your unsolicited “Get healthy” advice on those you consider fat. And cure yourself of Fatphobia, it reeks from every comment you made on this post.

And yes, get out. Fatphobic, body-shaming comments are not welcomed on my wall.

And my rational, feminist friend who first called him out on his comment, proceeded to seal it up with this beautiful response

you have a very strange perception of the world you know that, right? You are accusing Yemisi of “throwing insults”??? well, what do you think are YOU doing? I can tell you that even if you have the body of an Adonis I would not look at you twice if I knew what ugly thoughts you were thinking. It is one thing to help people getting healthier and talking to them about their way in a respectful manner but only if you are either a) a very good friend or b) their doctor. But it is completely out of the question that you cannot talk to people about their weight because you feel “insulted” by their sight. Really, have you no shame or dignitiy? I mean, who are you ? where do you take that right from to put yourself above them? only because you percieve yourself as better looking, healthier or thinner? I am sorry dear, but you are way way below, down in the gutter where minds are filthy and dark and unloving and most of all bitter!

What can i add to that but to say “Well said!”

We crave good health because we want to be happy. The bottom-line is our happiness. Let’s strive for it whatever way makes us feel at our best.

It is about understanding our body and listening to it too. It is also, about what suits us. For me, long hours workout suits me because it also means I can still indulge my sweet tooth moderately. But I know it won’t suits everyone.

Some people ask me what the secret is. I suggest everyone finds what is best for them. I am not a diet person, I will never recommend diets. Diets won’t make me feel good physically or mentally. Working out at the gym gives me a physical and mental fitness , also it makes me feel I can take on an intruder and defend myself if need be.

The power to feel sexy lies within us; it is ours whatever shape, size or age we are. We should never let anyone take away that power.

And for the fatphobic, body shaming assholes out there, get off your bigoted asses. A woman’s body is not yours to judge.

]]>http://freethoughtblogs.com/yemmynisting/2015/02/09/losing-weight-is-not-an-endorsement-or-indictment-of-another-womans-body-stop-the-fatphobia/feed/5Dancexercise 3: Return of the Mackhttp://freethoughtblogs.com/yemmynisting/2015/02/08/dancexercise-3-return-of-the-mack/
http://freethoughtblogs.com/yemmynisting/2015/02/08/dancexercise-3-return-of-the-mack/#respondSun, 08 Feb 2015 16:08:57 +0000http://freethoughtblogs.com/yemmynisting/?p=3416Who cares that it’s cold outside when i can dance indoors and burn some calories! Just the way i like to spend my weekend.

Dancexercise is my fun way of dancing and exercising to my favourite songs. A really fun and energizing way to spend an otherwise boring Saturday night. Enjoy!

]]>http://freethoughtblogs.com/yemmynisting/2015/02/08/dancexercise-3-return-of-the-mack/feed/0Boko Haram and a Nation collapsing under the weight of Corruption, Deception and Religionhttp://freethoughtblogs.com/yemmynisting/2015/01/26/boko-haram-and-a-nation-collapsing-under-the-weight-of-corruption-deception-and-religion/
http://freethoughtblogs.com/yemmynisting/2015/01/26/boko-haram-and-a-nation-collapsing-under-the-weight-of-corruption-deception-and-religion/#commentsMon, 26 Jan 2015 08:04:37 +0000http://freethoughtblogs.com/yemmynisting/?p=3403Just as I finally summoned enough interest to write about the Baga killings, news came in that Islamists terrorist group, Boko Haram, has struck again, this time in the city of Maiduguri. According to Sahara Reporters-

Top security officials just confirmed to SaharaReporters that Islamist fighters today overwhelmed the 243 battalion of the Nigerian Army stationed at Monguno Barracks. The insurgents killed an undetermined number of soldiers and wounded the brigade commander of the barracks.

Our sources said soldiers who put up resistance to the invading insurgents were killed, adding that many soldiers then ran in different directions. They disclosed that 1,400 soldiers were stationed at the barracks at the time of the attack, adding that military authorities were not aware of their exact whereabouts or how many of them had been killed. “We still don’t know what has happened to them [soldiers], but we know that Boko Haram now controls the barracks and Monguno town,” one officer based in Abuja confirmed.

When the Islamists terrorist group Boko Haram struck in Baga and killed a disputed 2,000 people , it was no longer considered newsworthy, at least not in Nigeria. I must confess that even as a Nigerian, I did not bother to check out the news, deven though the headlines screamed at me. According to CNN –

During the raid that started January 3, hundreds of gunmen seized the town of Baga and neighboring villages, as well as a multinational military base.

Attacks started at dawn and continued throughout last weekend, according to residents.

Though local officials gave conflicting death tolls, they agreed on the massive number of fatalities.

More than 2,000 people were killed in attacks on 16 villages, Bukar said. He could not explain how he arrived at that toll.

But the local district head said hundreds of people had been killed, not thousands. The actual toll will be known after a headcount of households is complete, Hassan said.

Two days after the attack, a man who claimed to be Abubakar Shekau [the leader of Boko Haram] came and addressed us. He said: “Today, where is your government from local to highest level? You are now under our control.” And he preached to us.

After that, Shekau and many of the insurgents left the town in the hands of some Boko Haram members who are from Baga.

These men have taken control of the young women in the town. They rape and abuse our daughters.

In the evening they choose ones who are neither pregnant nor nursing mothers and take them away. They don’t bring them back until the morning. If it is not rape what are they doing to them?

I guess we are now so desensitised to the atrocities of Boko Haram that it seems more murders in the name of Allah is no longer news, at least not when it involves Boko Haram. This might sound callous or insensitive, especially since the Baga killings occurred around the time of Charlie Hebdo killings, which I took the time to write about. So, why this seemingly uncaring attitude towards the Islamists terrorists presently ravaging my birth land (Holy FSM, I can’t even bring myself to call it my homeland anymore)?

I think this ‘What else is new’ attitude towards the misadventures of Boko Haram is indeed sad and scary. When an abnormality becomes the norm, there is cause for concern. It is not a case of indifference but a case of wondering how to write about what has been written about so many times. What words that have not already been used can one use to condemn the ever-latest atrocities of Boko Haram? We are surely running out of adjectives to write yet another screaming ‘Boko Haram has struck again’ headline. Even as I was finally writing on the Baga killings, news filtered in that Boko Haram has struck again, this time in Monguno and are making a bold attempt to capture the big city of Maiduguri.

Sadly enough, what grabbed the headlines in the atrocity of Boko Haram in Baga was the disputed number of victims of these callous Islamists terrorists. The government, when it finally deemed it fit to comment on the murders via some comments made in a hurry by a government official, claimed that the number of deaths was about 150 people. International papers and some Nigerians have pegged the number at 2,000. Of course, there should be total outrage regardless of the number, however this is Nigeria where lives means little and certainly means nothing to the government in power and politicians jostling for power.

How does a country that cannot even verify the number of people killed in yet another terrorists attack be bothered to sympathise with the families of the victims? Even now, it is still difficult to verify how many schoolgirls in Chibok were abducted by Boko Haram.

Nigeria is a country fast collapsing under the heavy weight of corruption, deception, and religious platitudes. Corruption reigns supreme. The country is like a headless chicken running helter-skelter with no sense of direction. It knows it is nearing its death but well, it will still run, even if headless.

When I think of my once beloved motherland, my heart feels heavy. They say there is no place like home, and that home is where the heart is. However, I dare say, home is not necessarily, where the heart is, but where we feel most welcomed and safe. Our hearts can be in a place where we are definitely not safe and we truly can’t refer to that unsafe place as home. So yeah, I now find it difficult to call Nigeria home especially since the passage of the anti Lgbt law, which stipulates 14 years imprisonment for engaging in same sex relationships and 10 years jail-term for advocating for LGBT rights. I dare say, #NigerianLGBTLivesMatterToo.

Many wondered why the world did not condemn the Baga attacks with as much gusto as they did the Charlie Hebdo attack in France. I was not surprised at the seeming indifference. Even the Nigerian newspapers hardly covered the Baga attacks and of course, the government could not be bothered to make official statement on the attack. Maybe President Goodluck Jonathan got tired of recycling the same old statements and empty promises. More so, his election campaigns can’t be derailed because a few more people lost their lives to Boko Haram, afterall #Electionmatterstoo.

I can’t blame the world leaders for not making noise about the latest Boko Haram atrocity in Nigeria. In fairness, the world did make a lot of noise about the abducted girls. The hashtag #Bringbackourgirls generated a lot of publicity and there were many leaders and celebrities brandishing this demand. Yeah, “Bring back our girls”, they all demanded but the girls are yet to be brought back. However, one must wonder, was the demand directed at Boko Haram, the Nigerian Government, or the international investigators that were dispatched to Nigeria by concerned world leaders to assist with this investigation? I guess we will never really know. Maybe it is a demand to all concerned. Yes, bring back our girls. Sigh.

I wondered though if after all that ‘Bring back out girls’ outcry, the international investigators discovered the mess that is Boko Haram is indeed a mess that can only be sorted out in-house.

Boko Haram is an in-house mess.

Boko Haram is Nigeria’s Shit and only Nigerians can clean it up.

Many greedy Nigerian politicians contributed their excreta towards making the shit that is Boko Haram.

Boko Haram is a mess created and sustained by Nigerian leaders and politicians who use religion as a tool of power.

Boko Haram is a mess that is consuming its creators and has grown wings above the contributors that excreted the shit.

Boko Harm is a mess that has taken a life of its own but it is still very useful to those that are willing to play the religious game to gain political power.

I was not surprised that Boko Haram chose to attack again as elections gets near, after all it is just about 3 weeks to the Presidential election.

What better way to put the fear of Boko Haram in Nigerians than to strike when the elections are at hand?

What better way to show Nigerians that the present president cannot curtail these rampaging Islamists terrorists than to kill at will, very near the presidential election period?

What better way to send the message across that they would prefer power goes to the only other viable presidential contender (who btw, happens to be a sharia fanatic who was handpicked by Boko Haram to negotiate on their behalf), than to kill as many as they can and cause people to be more disgruntled with the present government?

I won’t be surprised if we witnessed more Boko Haram attacks leading to this February 14 elections. They probably are saving their signature assaults for the week leading to the presidential election.

Nigeria is a country collapsing under the weight of corruption and deception. It is a country where fellow Nigerians don’t even trust what is coming out from the mouths of their own neighbours, never mind the mouths of their leaders and politicians.

This deception is endangering social movements in Nigeria and the lack of transparency is affecting just how willing we are to be part of these movements and in what esteem we hold these movements.

How are we going to have grassroots led revolution when the masses can’t even trust the self-styled social crusaders? For example, during the ‘Bring Back our girls campaign’, there were actually women who were hired by social groups to pose as mothers of the kidnapped schoolgirls. People blame the first lady for lashing out at these groups when they paid her a visit. I can imagine the contempt she feels for them because she knows just what game they are playing.

As a Nigerian who has been very much involved in protests and social movements, paying people to join protests is actually the norm, it is nothing new or strange. It is simply how it is done. Simples. Nevertheless, why would anyone need to hire women to pose as mothers of these kidnapped girls? As i stated in my post Boko Haram, #Bringbackourgirls, conspiracy theories, media and the mess called Nigeria, these actions only serve to compromise the investigations. It is also self-serving, as the group who claims to have the mothers of the kidnapped girls becomes the group to reckon with. And with recognition comes publicity, money and all sorts of funds. It is a sad case. But well, this is a country where some people are actually hired to cry at funerals, so really, it is nothing new.

Deception and corruption is not just a government ill, but also an illness that has eaten deep into the fabrics of the social movements in Nigeria. This monster is having a field time bedevilling the socio-political groups close to my heart and that include the LGBT community, and the burgeoning Nigerian atheist/agnostic /freethinker community. However, that is a story for another day.

Even the socialist/progressives/left groups were distracted from demanding a better government and preparing for the political elections by the juicy money on offer in the recently concluded National Conference charade. It was a case of satisfying what we Nigerians call ‘Stomach infrastructure’.

Their participation in the fruitless National Conference had nothing to do with genuine change. The progressives can pat themselves on the back for the few minutes they had on the floor to accentuate, postulate, and jargonise their rhetoric, but they know and we know that these ‘postulations’ are all going to end in the dustbin. In fact, all the papers and talks have already been consigned to the trashcan of history. It was not the first national conference and it won’t be last, at least not until a truly sovereign National Conference is convened. In the meantime, the self-styled social crusaders/activists can pat themselves on the back and smile to the bank with their share of the National Conference bounties. That is the face and spirit of Nigeria.

Boko Haram is not necessarily what is killing Nigeria, the country is collapsing under the weight of corruption, deception, bad leadership and lackadaisical citizens. Boko Haram would be a thing of the past if we had a country that was not already ravaged by corruption, deception, tribalism, religious fanaticism and the ‘God is in control’ attitude of Nigerians. I guess even international leaders and their investigators had to wash their hands off Nigeria and the Boko Haram saga when they realised it is a home problem that requires a home solution.

Nigerians can demand this solution from their government by demanding that Boko Haram be brought to justice and doing it not just via hashtag but the Egypt/Tunisia revolution style, and with a concrete vision of what type of people and ideology they want in power.

On its part, the government can curtail Boko Haram by first starting with cleansing its funders and sympathisers from the seat of power and make sure the large security votes actually goes towards equipping the army and police force. However, I guess, that would mean blocking the source of corrupt money going to the thieves in power who are the backbone of the leaders. A dilemma indeed, especially for a president seeking re-election.

We don’t know the number of people killed in Baga because life really means little. What difference would one more life or one thousand lives lost to Boko Haram make to a failed nation like Nigeria?

Just the other week, I suffered a personal tragedy as i lost my 3-day-old niece because doctors in Nigeria were on strike. The doctor in the private hospital where the child was delivered gave false assurances about his capacity to perform a needed minor surgery on the baby. As it turned out, this was just so the baby could be delivered in his hospital to enable him charge for the delivery, knowing fully well he wouldn’t be able to perform the needed surgery. He ended up sending the new-born baby to a deserted General hospital where doctors have been on strike for months and after three days of waiting for a doctor who kept promising to perform the surgery but kept postponing the operation, the baby died. It was such a needless death. Just another life taken so young, another life that was unfortunate to be born in Nigeria. Sadly, there will be no justice for the innocent life cut short by greed, deception, corruption, and a failing state. This is Nigeria and life is not sacred in Nigeria.

When we argue about how many lives were lost in Baga, let us just remember that Nigeria is not a country that values the lives of its citizens.

It is a sad situation and I hope we get to a place where all lives matters. But right now, Nigerian lives don’t matter, at least not to Nigerian leaders. If Lives don’t matter to doctors, why should it matter to Nigerian politicians? And if Nigerian lives don’t matter to Nigerian leaders, I wouldn’t blame the world leaders and celebrities if they are not hashtagging #Nigerianlivesmatter.

]]>http://freethoughtblogs.com/yemmynisting/2015/01/26/boko-haram-and-a-nation-collapsing-under-the-weight-of-corruption-deception-and-religion/feed/4The Charlie Hebdo tragedy: The five crowds that are getting it wronghttp://freethoughtblogs.com/yemmynisting/2015/01/12/the-charlie-hebdo-tragedy-the-five-crowds-that-are-getting-it-wrong/
http://freethoughtblogs.com/yemmynisting/2015/01/12/the-charlie-hebdo-tragedy-the-five-crowds-that-are-getting-it-wrong/#commentsMon, 12 Jan 2015 08:14:18 +0000http://freethoughtblogs.com/yemmynisting/?p=3373In the wake of the atrocious murder of Charlie Hedbo’s journalists by Islamist fundamentalists which led to #Jesuischarlie, it is sad that some people have chosen this horrendous time to falsely accuse the magazine of the very thing it stands against; Racism, Sexism, Homophobia and Misogyny.

Charlie Hebdo is known for its cartoons, which are often raunchy and provocative, whether they depicted the Prophet Mohammed or portrayed the Pope performing holy communion with a condom.

Charlie Hebdo’s editor, Stéphane Charbonnier, who was murdered in the attack, described the newspaper’s positions in 2012 as left-wing, secular, and atheist.

Below are 5 different crowds that are getting it wrong and why.

1- The “Charlie Hebdo is racist and sexist” crowd

This crowd eagerly post some of Charlie Hedbo’s cartoons with the aim of accusing the magazine of racism and sexism, without caring to dig into the context.

The context of Charlie Hebdo’s Parodies/cartoons is easily understood by the French but not easily understood by outsiders, unless they are conversant with French politics. Some of these cartoons can be viewed and understood under the piece What are some of Charlie Hebdo’s most famous cartoons?

At first glance, these cartoons might appear racist, sexist, and ill-thought-out, but after reading the contexts, this is usually not the case.

Charlie Hebdo covers often combined two unrelated stories to make a satirical point. In the context of the magazine’s leftist politics, this seems to be about spoofing not Nigerian trafficking victims, but French welfare critics, who have argued that France should cut welfare programs to prevent immigrant women from exploiting them. The cover, in this view, seems to say, “Hey, welfare critics, you’re so heartless that you probably think that even Nigerian sexual slavery victims are money-grubbing ‘welfare queens.

This cover is mixing two unrelated elements which made the news at about the same time:

– Boko Haram victims likely to end up sex slaves in Nigeria

– Decrease of French welfare allocations

In France, as in probably every country who has welfare allocations, some people criticize this system because some people might try to game it (e.g., “welfare queens” idea). Note that if we didn’t had it there would probably be much more people complaining because the ones who really need it would end up in extreme poverty.

Charlie Hebdo is known for being left-wing attached and very controversial, and I think they wanted to parody people who criticize “welfare queens” by taking this point-of-view to the absurd, to show that immigrant women in France are more likely to be victims of patriarchy than evil manipulative profiteers.

And of course if we only stay on the first-degree approach, it’s a terrible racist and absurd cover.

As Adrien points out in his answer, it was neither the first nor the last time Charlie Hebdo used this kind of “satirical news mixing”, and had no “preferred target”.

In November 2013 a cartoon in Charlie Hebdo depicted the Justice Minister Christiane Taubira, who is black (not literally African, specifically she was born in French Guiana), as a monkey. This has been a very popular image to share on Twitter as evidence that Charlie is a racist publication.

As the other answers have mentioned, this cover is simply the combination of two news stories to make a provocative joke. This is a very common occurrence in Charlie Hebdo front pages.

The first clue that all is not what it seems is that the cartoon was drawn by Charb – the editor himself. He was a Communist, and his girlfriend’s parents were North African. A funny kind of racist. Next you have to note that the text next to that cartoon says “Rassemblement Bleu Raciste”. This is a play on “Rassemblement Bleu Marine”, the slogan of Marine Le Pen’s national front, and the tricolor flame next to it is the party logo.

So, what you then need to know is that the cartoon was published after a National Front politician Facebooked a photoshop of the woman in the cartoon as a monkey, and then said on French TV that she should be “in a tree swinging from the branches rather than in government”.

French Far-Right Politician Compares Justice Minister To Monkey

The cartoon is literally saying the National Front are racists. I’m genuinely not sure whether propagating the imagery is or isn’t a useful way of mocking the FN, but turning an antifascist cartoon into evidence of racism based on no understanding at all takes some real pathology.

As a black woman and a Nigerian, I do not find these cartoons racist or sexist. I understand that other people including Blacks might find it racist. The point is, we are all entitled to our opinions, but we are not entitled to our own facts. Facts do not change simply because our opinion does not match the facts.

Even if after understanding the context and the parody and we still think it is inappropriate cartoon, Racism is still not the word to describe the problem (if any). Unfortunately, even when presented with the context, the “Charlie Hebdo is racist/sexist” crowd has failed to accept they got it wrong.

2- The “We don’t support their murders BUT blah blah blah” aka ‘Blame the victim’ crowd

This crowd specialises in throwing around sentiments followed by accusations such as-

“I don’t like that they were murdered but they had it coming”

“I am not saying I agree with their murders but they should not be so controversial”

“They did not deserved to be killed but they knew what the stakes were”

This crowd gets so much on my nerves because in them I see every hater who sends me hate mail or warns me to stop posting my views on Religion, Skydaddy, their paedophile prophet Mohammed or their Blue eyed, blonde Jewish saviour, Jesus.

This crowd starts by piously stating that they don’t agree with the killings but always follow it with the inevitable BUT. I find it very distasteful when people use ‘BUT’ to place part of the blame on victims. For example, we are familiar with those who when commenting under a rape case, spew such rubbish as:

“I don’t support that she was raped BUT she should not have followed him home,”

“I am sad that she was raped BUT she should not have worn that short skirt”

“I am not saying she deserved to be raped BUT she should not have been drinking”

Also, if I was attacked in my home by burglars, the last thing anyone should say to me is

“You should have invested in the latest security system!”

The word ‘BUT’ only helps place part of the blame on Victims and that is inappropriate. The only people responsible for rape are the rapists, the only people responsible for burglary are the burglars, and the only people responsible for murders are the murderers. The victim does not share any part of the blame.

I can’t help but think that if I was ever murdered for my views on Religion or my advocacy for LGBT rights, the BUT crowd would be privately pleased. After all, they think I had it coming. They have sent me warning mails to desist from talking negatively about religion or face the consequences. They would probably quote the many times they left comments on my social media to advise me in ‘good faith’ to stop ‘attacking’ religion. No doubt while offering their condolences to my family, they would not be able to resist adding amidst crocodile tears, “I saw it coming, I warned her but she did not listen, that is why she was murdered, if only she listened”

This kind of attitude indirectly gives legitimacy to religious fanatics. It promotes censorship. Worse still, these in ‘good faith’ advisers truly believe that no one should mock Allah and their precious prophet. Some of them also secretly agree with the Quran’s prescribed punishment for blasphemers. The difference between them and those who actually carry out this commandment is just a matter of the type of trigger they are brave enough to pull in public.

Murdering an unbeliever in cold blood in the name of God is not the only hallmark of religious fanatics.

When believers refuse to render help to people who speak out against Religion or deny them employment opportunities simply because well, thou shall not mix with unbelievers, they are religious fanatics.

When religious believers support the criminalisation of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transsexuals while spuriously quoting from the bible or quran, they are religious fanatics.

These ‘moderate’ believers are part of the problem because in their own way, they endorse religious fanaticism.

3- The “#JeSuisAhmed , I am not Charlie”crowd

I examined the reasons given for #JeSuisAhmed and I don’t buy it. Why try to poison the spirit of #JeSuisCharlie?

Charlie is not a person; it is a magazine. A magazine that had its staff murdered for refusing to be cowed by offended terrorists despite the many threats it receives daily. Charlie Hebdo’s indefatigable spirit was what those religious fanatics wanted to break. The attacks, the outrage, the solidarity are all about refusing to give in to intimidation. It is about Freedom of Speech, Liberty and the right to offend.

The death of Ahmed Merabet, like every other victim, is tragic. Ahmed, just like the other cops, was simply responding to a call of duty. However, in an attempt to take away from what Charlie Hedbo stands for, the #JeSuisAhmed crowd was quick to declare that:

Ahmed was a Muslim

For all we know, he was a closeted atheist!

Ahmed was defending people who offended his faith

Again, they assumed that Ahmed not only had a faith but also was offended by Charlie Hedbo’s cartoons. With this assumption, they imply that Charlie Hedbo’s cartoons offend ALL Muslims.

Ahmed died defending the right of Charlie Hedbo to offend even though he did not agree with them

The #JeSuisAhmed crowd created this story of a French Muslim cop who although was offended by Charlie Hedbo, chose to die as a brave martyr defending the right of the cartoonists to Freedom of expression. Nothing in the video clip of the unfortunate death of this police officer implies what the #JeSuisAhmed crowd is propagating. The cop was just answering a call of duty, he was not even afforded the time to draw his gun before he was shot down by the terrorists. He probably did not know the cause of the brouhaha. Ahmed was a victim of the terrorists, and the terrorist hated what Charlie Hedbo stands for and killed people for it. Ahmed is part of Charlie Hebdo story, not outside of it.

#JeSuisCharlie is not a competition about whose death is worse or more deserving of a hashtag. It is not about a single individual as #JeSuisAhmed is trying to be, but about our collective empathy, strength, and defiance in the face of this tragedy. It is no longer just a Charlie Hedbo tragedy but a national tragedy that has awakened global solidarity. The attempts by #JeSuisAhmed crowd to distance themselves from #JeSuisCharlie are unconvincing, unnecessary, and unfortunately divisive.

4- The “What about the other side (insert: West/IRA/Christian)?” crowd-

This crowd is infuriating in their lopsided argument. For example, immediately the news of the attack broke and I posted about it on my wall, some immediately left comments blaming everyone but the terrorists. This particular commenter epitomises all that is wrong with this crowd.

“What goes around comes around the west have committed untold acts of terror against the Arab world especially France with Libya…..you have to wonder when all this bloodletting will stop, what a messed up and dangerous world we live in no thanks to the Western powers”

Talking of religious fanatics Bush claimed God told him to invade Iraq, go figure……We should ban all organised religion, shit started with the crusades, they used it to colonise Africa and enslave our people and the violence continues……smh

He topped it with

this violence is a never ending cycle everybody is to blame.

No, we are not all to blame; the terrorists who went on a killing spree to avenge Allah are to blame.

He went ahead to inform me

Yemisi the only problem I have with your reasoning is that Xtianity is just as bad as Islam in my book, they are just as violent and fanatical as each other in my book, think George Bush and the IRA.

I wonder why some people think when Islam is called out, Christianity gets a pass mark and vice versa. It is possible to point out the ills of a particular religion without giving the other a pass mark. And one should be able to discuss a specific religion without someone screaming “What about Islam?” or what about Christianity?”

A post breaking the news about the atrocious murders of innocent people in the name of Allah should not be turned into an avenue to list the ills of George Bush, IRA or the Westboro Baptist Church. There is a time and a place for everything, this is hardly the time to play the compare, contrast and score game. The “What about the other side?” remark only serves to distract from the particular ill under discussion. In fact, trolls use it just to muddle up discussions.

I have always stressed that Religion is a deadly cancer. When I call out religion, I mean all organised religion and their Skydaddy, and as we know, Islam and Christianity have a common Skydaddy, the Abrahamic God. I post generally about religion, ALL RELIGION, however when a post is about a tragedy caused by a particular religion and its fanatics, it is not appropriate to scream “But what about Bush, Christians, Western power, IRA” or whatever else people use to shift part of the blame from the murderers.

This is not the time to entertain a modicum of justification for heinous acts against humanity. It is a detracting trolling attempt aimed at ‘indirectly’ justifying such acts by trying to generalise this particular atrocity with the “What about those other people” rhetoric.

5- The “Islam is peaceful, those terrorists are not real Muslims” crowd-

Of course they are real Muslims, if anything they are the real Muslims, after all, they are the ones that are dutifully following to the letter, the words of Allah as espoused in the Quran.

Part of this crowd also encourages the ‘Real Muslims’ to take back Islam. Really, take back Islam? What is there to reclaim? If you take away the Holy book that commands these atrocities, what is left of Islam?

In this day and age, it should not be about reclaiming any religion; it should be about doing away with religion and all superstitions that beget atrocities. In fact, I strongly believe children should be protected from having holy books forced on them by religious parents. We often protect children from books and movies containing violence and unsuitable materials, yet we allow religious parents to force-feed children those violent Quran and Bible stories.

In the name of respecting religion, we expose vulnerable children to harmful lies and tales of hell-fire. They learn about discrimination when taught the myths of the chosen race, why women should be submissive to men and how non-virgin wives should be stoned to death. We sow the seed of homophobia when we speak about the wrath of God towards men who lay with men and we germinate fear and kill their quest to question when we scare them with divinely prescribed punishment for blasphemy. We should protect children from such atrocious teachings. If we don’t want to breed a future generation of religious fanatics, we must seriously think about protecting future generation from religious indoctrination.

When a religion provides a hiding place for bad people to commit atrocities, that religion deserves no respect. Religion provides excuse for evil people to carry out deluded activities, however, an excuse for evil is itself evil. We should be doing away with religion, not reclaiming it.

In conclusion, if you belong to any of these 5 crowds, don’t be afraid to break free because #JeSuisCharlie.

]]>http://freethoughtblogs.com/yemmynisting/2015/01/12/the-charlie-hebdo-tragedy-the-five-crowds-that-are-getting-it-wrong/feed/53Islamist Barbarians Have Struck Again!http://freethoughtblogs.com/yemmynisting/2015/01/07/islamist-barbarians-have-struck-again/
http://freethoughtblogs.com/yemmynisting/2015/01/07/islamist-barbarians-have-struck-again/#commentsWed, 07 Jan 2015 16:04:10 +0000http://freethoughtblogs.com/yemmynisting/?p=3361Islamist barbarians have struck again, as 3 gunmen went on a killing spree, murdering 10 journalists, 2 police officers and injuring 7 people in the name of Allah.

This is truly sickening. Unfortunately, this is not likely to be the last time Islamist terrorists would kill to protect the honour of their Paedophile prophet, while shouting Allahu Akbar.

Barbaric, primitive religious fanatics and those so-called moderates, who feign disgust at these atrocities but still spew passages from their Holy books to justify atrocities, need brain transplants!

This is another blatant attack on Freedom of Expression by these barbaric religious fanatics.

It was also reported that 2 of the cartoonists killed had personal body guards because there has been ongoing life threatening messages from Islamists who feel offended by the cartoons the Newspaper published.

Imagine what it is like to be under constant fear for your life for exercising your Freedom of Expression.

I am so tired of hearing the rhetoric that people should not upset the religious community. Why should we care that religious people are offended that we mock their Skydaddy. If we are free to mock Batman, Superman or Wonder Woman, why should we not be free to mock Allah? There is as much evidence for the existence of Allah and the mysterious powers he possess as there is for Batman, Superman or Wonder Woman!

In this time and age, there should be a resounding message from all civilised countries that such acts of intimidation and terrorism will not be tolerated. The world needs to come together to take action anywhere such acts of terrorism rears its ugly head.

US President Barack Obama has condemned the “horrific shooting”, offering to provide any assistance needed “to help bring these terrorists to justice”. Obama said in a statement that the U.S. would provide “any assistance” to “America’s oldest ally” in bringing the terrorists to justice.

So far, the death toll include the magazine’s editor-in-chief, Stephane Charbonnier, and three cartoonists Cabu, Tignous and Wolinski

It is very appalling. My heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims.

We must come together to haunt this criminals down! We need to stand up and refused to be intimidated by their primitive tactics.

As a friend suggested:

all the world press should stand together and reproduce the images that these murdering bastards found so offensive… United we stand!!!

It would be a great idea to widely reproduce the images these barbarians killed people for. The world needs to say NO to this intimidation by these barbaric, bloodthirsty religious fanatics!

No religion deserves respect from me. However, when in this modern age, a particular religion is always grabbing the headlines when its adherents kidnap and open fire on innocent people in shopping malls and cafes while screaming, “There is no other God but Allah”, and murder children for simply daring to seek an education, I can say, Islam deserves nothing but contempt. My heart bleeds for all the innocent lives lost in the latest atrocities committed in the name of religion and a mythical skydaddy.

No lie or myths sold as truth deserves respect and all religions are myths and lies. However, when lies are used as brainwashing tool to harm innocent people and cause havoc in the society, that lie deserves nothing but contempt and condemnation from decent people.

It is not just about the fanatics who chose to carry out the commands in their sacred ‘holy book’. It must also be about people who defend the Quran or the Bible simply because they consider religion beyond criticism and cherry pick their holy book to suits their purpose.

When a religion provides a hiding place for bad people to commit atrocities, that religion deserves no respect. Religion is an instrument of oppression, useful in the hands of the rulers. Religion easily provides an excuse for evil people to carry out deluded activities, however, an excuse for evil is itself evil.

]]>http://freethoughtblogs.com/yemmynisting/2015/01/07/islamist-barbarians-have-struck-again/feed/3Choosing between the Sharia fanatic and the inept, incumbent President: The sad case of a gutless nationhttp://freethoughtblogs.com/yemmynisting/2015/01/05/choosing-between-the-sharia-fanatic-and-the-inept-incumbent-president-the-sad-case-of-a-gutless-nation/
http://freethoughtblogs.com/yemmynisting/2015/01/05/choosing-between-the-sharia-fanatic-and-the-inept-incumbent-president-the-sad-case-of-a-gutless-nation/#commentsMon, 05 Jan 2015 06:47:57 +0000http://freethoughtblogs.com/yemmynisting/?p=3304Nigerians seem to have lost their memory, again.

Who votes for a man who truncates democracy?

Who votes for a man who has repeatedly shown his disdain for the rule of law?

Who votes for a man with a record of appalling human rights violations?

Who votes for a man who advocates for Sharia law in a supposedly secular society?

Who votes for a man who cares not that lives, especially young lives, were lost because he lost an election?

Who in their right mind endorse such a despotic being as a presidential candidate?

How could a decent person openly campaign for votes for this despot?

What type of self-acclaimed progressive party fields such a candidate?

I was flabbergasted when General Muhammadu Buhari, a 72 year old ex-military despot and Sharia law fanatic was adopted as the presidential candidate of what is unfortunately the only relevant opposition political party in Nigeria, All Progressives Congress (APC). In a further show of shame, Governor Fashola, a younger and fairly ‘progressive’ potential candidate was ruled out of a vice presidential ticket because the supposedly progressive opposition party does not think a Muslim-Muslim ticket would work.

To appeal to religious sentiments, the APC presidential aspirant chose to field a Pastor as the running mate, in the person of Pastor Prof Yemi Osinbanjo. Hmm…what better way to assuage the fears of Nigerians about this Sharia fanatic than to team him up with a Pastor to balance the game? After all the title, Pastor, is supposed to open doors and bring in the votes. The religiosity oozing from this game plan is so nauseating. Nigerians, this is the 21st century not the Dark Ages!

Muhammadu Buhari has always been a sore loser. In 2011, the tone of his campaign was so violent that when he lost at the polls, his supporters took to the streets and massacred innocent people, targeting youth corpers from the south west and south east who were serving in the North. At that time, one of my sisters was a youth corper serving at Federal College of Education, Minna. She and her roommates managed to escape from the thugs who invaded their house by scaling the fence to safety. Their house was torched; she lost her belongings including her valuable laptop.

I wonder what the families of the youth corpers who lost their lives think of this hyped “Agent of Change”.

Are Nigerians even prepared for the bloodbath that these ragamuffins would unleash If/when Buhari loses?

Maybe the fear of a bloodbath reprisal would be one reason many sheepish Nigerians would rush to the polls to cast their vote for a Buhari.

The human rights violations and transgressions

Long before the 2011 election, whenever I hear the name Buhari, what comes to mind is the awful image of Nigerians being whipped on the streets and commanded to frog jump by army officers for as small an offence as not queuing up properly for buses.

Growing up during the despotic Buhari/Idiagbhon regime, I wondered why anyone would praise a government that has no respect for the rule of law.

The military junta of General Muhammadu Buhari truncated democracy; he came into power via a coup d’état to overthrow a democratically elected government.

He went further to use fear as a form of discipline. To him, the constitution was useless. Decrees were the in-thing. Why on earth would any right thinking person consider it OK for security officers to whip adults on the streets for offences that, if they warrant prosecution at all, should be prosecuted in a court of law and not on the streets, and certainly not by army officers.

If considered indecently dressed, well, be ready to be whipped in public under a Buhari dictatorship, be it civilian, military or Sharia Law.

Why would any woman who value democracy and body choice even consider Buhari for any important political office?

I shudder to think what would happen to gays, lesbians, bisexuals and Trans under a Buhari presidency. Yes, gays have had nothing but Badluck under Goodluck Jonathan’s regime; after all the clueless, spineless Goodluck Jonathan signed the Anti-gay bill into law, most probably under pressure from his advisers. Nevertheless, I shudder; I truly shudder to think what would happen under a Muhammadu Buhari’s regime. It would not just be 14 years imprisonment for anyone caught in a same-sex relationship, it would be free whipping, and state-endorsed lynching of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and trans on the streets of every state in Nigeria.

I can think of the possibility of engaging in an almost rational discussion about LGBT rights with a President Goodluck Jonathan. In fact, I think the big task would not be how to convince Goodluck Jonathan that gays are human beings deserving of respect, dignity, and human rights but how to convince him to grow a spine and stand up to the useless advisers and primitive politicians he surrounds himself with.

Whereas, I cannot even envision the sharia law fanatic, Muhammadu Buhari, granting anyone an audience to discuss lesbians, bisexuals and gays, and Transsexual rights. The man might just put a fatwa on the head of LGBTs rights advocates! Therein lies the difference. So again, why would anyone who is lesbian, gay, bisexual or Trans supports a Muhammadu Buhari presidential ticket?

Why would anyone who believes in human rights, women’s rights, and a supporter of LGBT rights want Muhammadu Buhari at the helm of affairs in a country that is already retrogressive and not doing so great when it comes to respecting women and LGBTs rights? It truly baffles the intellect!

The grounds on which General Buhari is being promoted as the alternative choice are not only shaky, but pitifully naive. History matters. Records are not kept simply to assist the weakness of memory, but to operate as guides to the future. Of course, we know that human beings change. What the claims of personality change or transformation impose on us is a rigorous inspection of the evidence, not wishful speculation or behind-the-scenes assurances. Public offence, crimes against a polity, must be answered in the public space, not in caucuses of bargaining. In Buhari, we have been offered no evidence of the sheerest prospect of change. On the contrary, all evident suggests that this is one individual who remains convinced that this is one ex-ruler that the nation cannot call to order.

Buhari – need one remind anyone – was one of the generals who treated a Commission of Enquiry, the Oputa Panel, with unconcealed disdain. Like Babangida and Abdusalami, he refused to put in appearance even though complaints that were tabled against him involved a career of gross abuses of power and blatant assault on the fundamental human rights of the Nigerian citizenry.

Prominent against these charges was an act that amounted to nothing less than judicial murder, the execution of a citizen under a retroactive decree. Does Decree 20 ring a bell? If not, then, perhaps the names of three youths – Lawal Ojuolape (30), Bernard Ogedengbe (29) and Bartholomew Owoh (26) do. To put it quite plainly, one of those three – Ogedengbe – was executed for a crime that did not carry a capital forfeit at the time it was committed. This was an unconscionable crime, carried out in defiance of the pleas and protests of nearly every sector of the Nigerian and international community – religious, civil rights, political, trade unions etc. Buhari and his sidekick and his partner-in-crime, Tunde Idiagbon persisted in this inhuman act for one reason and one reason only: to place Nigerians on notice that they were now under an iron, inflexible rule, under governance by fear.

Not content with hammering down the freedom of expression in general terms, Buhari specifically forbade all public discussion of a return to civilian, democratic rule.

So Tai Solarin is already forgotten? Tai who stood at street corners, fearlessly distributing leaflets that took up the gauntlet where the media had dropped it. Tai who was incarcerated by that regime and denied even the medication for his asthmatic condition? Tai did not ask to be sent for treatment overseas; all he asked was his traditional medicine that had proved so effective after years of struggle with asthma!

Sad, very sad.

Nigerians and the Saviour myth

What I can only deduce from this is that Nigerians are deluded people who want a saviour. Nigerians have this vision of a saviour who would deliver them from the clutches of corrupt politicians. They have a sadomasochistic fifty shades of Grey vision of a Buhari gathering up all the corrupt politicians, whipping them in public and even setting them ablaze in a lynching orgy. I think many Nigerians are that sadistic.

Nigerians are always looking for short-cuts. They want the easy way out without any responsibility.

While it is a good thing to get rid of corruption, Nigerians are willing to crown a despot to do their dirty laundry for them. As long as they are not thrown into the laundry basket too, they are contented to have a despot as their laundry man.

Most Nigerians think the only place corruption exists is in the upper echelon of government. What bullshit. In Nigeria, corruption thrives in all strata of the nation. From the unemployed and the least paid worker to the highest paid worker, corruption is simply a way of life. In Nigeria, corruption is the norm; it is the rule not the exception. Therefore, it is funny when Nigerians keep screaming on the pages of newspapers and social network sites like Facebook and twitter that:

Buhari would put corruption at bay.

Buhari would gather all the corrupt politicians and lock then up forever.

The fear of Buhari is the beginning of wisdom for all corrupt politicians.

The name Buhari sends jitters down the spine of all corrupt politicians.

Buhari is the change we need.

Hmm, these Nigerians conveniently forget that corruption is not limited to politicians alone. They conveniently forget that they are part of what makes Nigeria one of the most corrupt nations on earth.

From the young and the not so young who allow themselves to be used as political thugs during elections to:

Voters who sell their votes to politicians with the biggest bags of rice and in exchange for recharge cards

Office clerks who conveniently lose your file unless you settle them with cash

Police officers whose code for ‘settle me’ is “wetin you carry?”

Market traders who have no qualms about ripping you off

Doctors who are not above misdiagnosing patients just to profit off their alleged ailments

Pharmacists who sell fake drugs to make profit

Even citadels of learning are not left out. We have:

Lecturers who still threaten to fail female students who refused to succumb to their sexual advances.

As a Nigerian graduate I know getting an academic reference from former lecturers or even getting transcripts could be a case of settle us first.

Wow, it really is exhausting being a Nigerian. What a calamity!

Yet, these same Nigerians think all their woes would end if/when a Muhammadu Buhari is voted in as president because hey, “The man would whip all our corrupt politicians”. Maybe the man should start by whipping your ignorant, corrupt asses where your brains reside!

How does the old, failed way represent change?

When you talk of change, what change is a man whose first major political appointment in Nigeria was in 1975 and has since held influential and lucrative political offices including shooting his way into the presidential office as a coup planner, going to bring to Nigeriain 2015?

In March 1976, the then Head of State, General Olusegun Obasanjo appointed Buhari as the Federal Commissioner (position now called Minister) for Petroleum and Natural Resources.

When the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation was created in 1976, Buhari was also appointed as its Chairman, a position he held until 1978.

Major-General Buhari was appointed Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces after a military coup d’etat that overthrew civilian President Shehu Shagari on December 31, 1983.

Buhari served as the Chairman of the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) under evil impersonate himself, General Sani Abacha.

What change is the person who has served under the vilest politicians Nigeria has ever known going to bring to Nigeria?

What brainwave has he suddenly developed that would bring about the needed change Nigerians clamour for considering that all he has engaged himself with since he was kicked out of office is to serially contest for the seat of presidency?

Is the violent sore loser the change we need?

Muhammadu Buhari is a desperate politician who does not even care which political party he contest under, as long as he has a chance at the presidency. If PDP offered him a presidential ticket, he would gladly jump on board!

In 2003, Buhari contested the presidential election as the candidate of the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP).

On 18 December 2006, Gen. Buhari was nominated as the consensus candidate of the All Nigeria People’s Party. His main challenger in the April 2007 polls was the ruling PDP candidate, Umaru Yar’Adua, who hailed from the same home state of Katsina. In the election, Buhari officially took 18% of the vote against 70% for Yar’Adua, but Buhari rejected these results. After Yar’Adua took office, the ANPP agreed to join his government, but Buhari denounced this agreement. (Again showing what a sore loser he is!)

In March 2010, Buhari left the ANPP for the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), a party that he had helped to found.

Buhari was the CPC Presidential candidate in the 16 April 2011 general election. He lost the election to incumbent president,Goodluck Jonathan.

Buhari is fond of playing the religion card. He has been known to advise that people vote along religious line, saying Christians should vote for Christians and Muslims must vote Muslims. His campaign speeches serve to incite the religious miscreants when he loses elections, as he always does, thereby resulting in loss of innocent lives.

I have no respect for any religion and I definitely have nothing but contempt for sharia law. l don’t see how any progressive thinking individual would support an avid Sharia law enthusiast for a political position.

Buhari’s regime saw many activists put behind bars for criticizing his dictatorship. Nothing in his countenance suggests that his dictatorial mentality has changed. He never for once apologised to the victims of his brutal regime. Heck, the man fancies himself as the saviour Nigeria needs.

Is Buhari, the Boko Haram trusted negotiator, the change we need?

Who in Nigeria did not know that Boko Haram trusted Muhammadu Buhari so much that the appalling terrorists nominated Buhari to negotiate with the government, on their behalf? When your preferred presidential candidate is beloved by the most disgusting terrorist group in Nigeria, something is wrong with your principles.

Or is this not the same Muhammadu Buhari who likened the Islamists terrorists, Boko Haram, to the now “Chop and quench” Delta environmentalists insurgents groups, and even begged for Amnesty for Boko Haram?

Really, do Nigerians suffer from short memory? Truly, I don’t know, I don’t understand, I cannot comprehend, I am lost for words as to why any decent human being would support Buhari for president. The man has caused enough damage. The man is a sore loser. The man is a 72 year old used-up politician who should at least muster enough dignity to retire in peace and stop rousing the nation because of his selfish ambition to once again rule the country by fire by force and by favour or fear.

Corruption and the paid piper

Nigerians who think Muhammadu Buhari is coming to tie up and whip the corrupt politicians should ask themselves who are the sponsors of Buhari?

Have they forgotten that he who paid the piper dictates the tune?

Did Buhari not confess that he had no money for the presidential nomination fee but went begging cap in hand for his nomination fees to the same corrupt politicians he wants to free Nigerian from?

Who are the owners of the bank this serial contestant claimed gave him 27m naira to pay for his presidential nomination ticket?

Considering that he is always telling us that he owns just two modest houses (which he claimed he built with loans) and have no foreign accounts, what did he provide as collateral for the huge loan? Did the bank violate its lending policy to provide a 27 million naira loan to Muhammadu Buhari, a man who has lost 3 consecutive presidential races, when they won’t even give young, energetic, entrepreneur graduates 200,000 thousand naira loan to start a business. Is that not supposed to be part of the corruption ‘Saint’ Muhammadu Buhari wants to fight. How can you fight that which you are a part of?

Oh, rest assured, the same politicians that have been looting our treasury are the main sponsors of Buhari. Some ever hopeful Nigerians have managed to convince themselves that he is only playing along now and would dispose of all his corrupt, benevolent, political friends when he assumes power. Really? I guess integrity is not something Nigerians demand of their leaders. Why assume his financial funders are fools, after all they did not get to be multi-millionaires feeding fat on our collective national treasury by being fools. The fools in this scenario are Nigerians who think Buhari is a saviour come to save them from the same corrupt politicians who are actually his sponsors!

And let’s not forget the spiritual sponsors of Buhari, the religious fanatics, the sharia law propagandists who want to impose sharia law on Nigerians. “This is not possible”, Nigerians echo, conveniently forgetting that Nigeria is actually a member of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and that Sharia law is already adopted in Northern parts of Nigeria. Not possible, my foot. Even if sharia law is not declared, with a sharia law fanatic as president, who says we can’t have the constitution and still have sharia law monitoring our every step or misstep?

How can we be sure women won’t be whipped for ‘indecent dressing? Did Uganda not recently pass a law against women wearing mini skirts? Nigerian politicians looking to score points with religious fanatics once tendered the indecent dressing bill before the National Assembly. Who says under the leadership of a self-confessed sharia law enthusiast, Nigerian women won’t be beaten black and blue by enthusiastic security officers or Boko Haram vigilantes, for the offence of wearing miniskirts, wearing weave on, putting on lipsticks or even going to school!

What would a Nigeria under Buhari look like in the nearest future?

Why do we want to retrogress? Do we even envision what a Buhari at the helm of affairs would do to Nigeria in say, 10 years from now? I foresee a country where:

Democracy is a shadow of its former self

Freedom of expression and the press becomes a distant memory

The prisons are once again teeming with human right activists

Sharia Law becomes a force to be reckoned with.

Nigerians are saddled with getting rid of a political party that has the emblem of Boko Haram.

Gays, lesbians, bisexuals are further forced into a torment of hell in their own country.

Women rights and body autonomy are routinely trampled upon.

The thought of such calamities should be enough to drive progressives into a frenzy. Why do Nigerians want to risk all these possibilities because they want someone who can fight corrupt leaders?

Goodluck turned Badluck

BTW, I am no supporter of the inept, clueless sitting president. As I wrote in my piece titled OCCUPY NIGERIA FOR A RESIGNATION OR A REVOLUTION?, Goodluck Jonathan is not a worthy adversary. He is a president with no vision, no backbone and no agenda who once had no shoes but now has many designer shoes, thanks to Nigerians! The man came bearing promises without a plan, promises without action are like prayers, it makes you feel emotionally good but it does not nourish your body, simply put, it does not put food on your table or money in your bank account unless you are the President or a Pastor!

Nigerians relied on Goodluck promises without demanding for answers, just the same way many Nigerians believed in their pastors anointing to see them through the year! Now that ‘Goodluck’s promises, just like Pastors’ anointing, are not working, it is time to wake up from fantasy land and face up to reality. We could ACT to redefine our reality or MOAN until the next election to change the leaders through ballot boxes. For many Nigerians, I suspect it would be the same old ‘we go survive, God is in control’ syndrome. Religious opium takes time to wear off!

When I look at President Goodluck Jonathan, all I see is the pathetic image of a president kneeling down before spiritual fraudsters praying to win elections. The beyond stupid image of president Goodluck Jonathan in Jerusalem staring stupidly at a wall and touching it for miracles is difficult to wipe from my memory! His inability to guarantee security of lives or at least be seen to be doing something tangible towards providing security for Nigerians in their own country is a shameful low point he cannot run away from.

I don’t want that nincompoop as my president, but I would rather have a spineless nincompoop as a president than a sharia mongering, koboko wielding, ex-military dictator as a president. I surely would not vote for any of these two but while I can’t be bothered to go out of my way to campaign against a Jonathan, I surely owe myself and future generation a duty to speak out against the monstrosity that is General Muhammadu Buhari.

Failure of the Left and progressives

The fact that there are only two presidential candidates worth talking about is a manifestation of the failure of the so-called ‘Nigerian progressives’.

The labour movement had a party they allowed to be hijacked by wolves in sheep clothing.

Labour leaders themselves were busy chasing after the big money and saying ‘Yes sirs’ to any government in power.

Labour leaders even abandoned labour party to wine and dine with the crooks in power.

Progressives and the Lefts were so busy fighting themselves over National Conference slots and the millions of Naira involved, that they basically forgot about building viable opposition parties and candidates.

Muhammadu Buhari does not have any quantifiable economy plan for Nigeria. All he feeds on is his very questionable reputation as a corruption fighter. He was booted out as a despot president at the age of 41, what are his achievements since leaving the office he forced his way into? He has not even developed himself education wise. What did he forget in office that he is so desperate to go back, that he kept borrowing millions of naira for his various presidential nomination forms? How did he plan to pay back the money he borrowed from the sharks that are looting our national treasury?

And what the heck is that noise he is making about scrapping the office of the First lady? Does he think the office of the First Lady is the problem that is causing Nigeria’s financial woes? Does he not understand that the office of the First Lady can be effectively used socially and diplomatically, without draining our financial resources? I guess he is just talking out of his arse to live up to his questionable image as a corruption fighter. So, his manifesto of saving money for Nigeria is to cut off the office of the First Lady. Laughable kindergarten stuff as usual.

Muhammadu Buhari as Minister of petroleum under the very corrupt Obasanjo government did not exactly leave a legacy. In fact, some cool billion dollars are still not accounted for under his watch.

Really, it is a sad situation. It really is a tragedy that a Muhammadu Buhari is still relevant in Nigeria’s politics and worse still, being touted by a so-called progressive political party as its presidential candidate. What a travesty. Nigerians have rejected Buhari 3 consecutive times at the ballot boxes, but the sore loser still wants a shot at Aso rock.

What if he won the election and died in office?

I shudder to think what would happen if Buhari won this election and died in office. Death in office is a possibility. Remember that General Sani Abacha and President Yaradua died as sitting presidents. If anything fatal happened to their beloved Sharia law enthusiast, won’t it be seen as a conspiracy to kill northern leaders in office? All hell would be let loose by religious and ethnic fanatics and no doubt by his number one fan, Boko Haram.

We do not need the problems and baggage that Buhari carries with him. Nigeria is better off being milked dry by spineless Goodluck Jonathan than whipped to death by Buhari. A dried up person still has hope of getting much needed help, but a dead person is beyond hope. Putting a sick Nigeria in the hands of Muhammadu Buhari and his delusions is basically declaring Nigeria a nation beyond hope.

Conclusion

Maybe Nigerians need to understand that when they look in the mirror, a corrupt Nigerian stares right back at them. If they do not fancy the thought of a Buhari publicly whipping them on the streets, then they had better not harbour the idea of a Muhammadu Buhari in power.

If the only credence they give to Buhari is that he can publicly whip corrupt politicians, they should remember that in a democracy, police brutality is not tolerated. Respect for the rule of law is a tenet of any democracy. Buhari is no respecter of the rule of law. Buhari is a selfish, old, military dictator who cannot accept no for an answer. He belongs to the trashcan of history.

The real tragedy is that President Goodluck Jonathan and retired General Muhammadu Buhari are the two names that pop up in our presidential debates. What a colossal tragedy.

It is a pity that the younger generation who should be trying to put these old has-been politicians in the trashcan are the same people that are busy fighting themselves on and offline, to praise their candidates.

Every follower deserves the kind of leadership it gets, and come 2015 election, Nigeria will not be an exception.

]]>http://freethoughtblogs.com/yemmynisting/2015/01/05/choosing-between-the-sharia-fanatic-and-the-inept-incumbent-president-the-sad-case-of-a-gutless-nation/feed/10New Year Resolution? Do away with God and Religionhttp://freethoughtblogs.com/yemmynisting/2015/01/01/new-year-resolution-do-away-with-god-and-religion/
http://freethoughtblogs.com/yemmynisting/2015/01/01/new-year-resolution-do-away-with-god-and-religion/#commentsThu, 01 Jan 2015 02:16:58 +0000http://freethoughtblogs.com/yemmynisting/?p=3286A perfect New Year resolution would be to do away with God and all its attendant delusions. Most importantly, it would mean you no longer give a stamp of approval to all the ills, harms and atrocities perpetrated in the name of God under the umbrella of Religion as commanded in the Hoy book, be it the Bible, Quran or any other deluded book, aka the Word of God.

In recent years, we have seen how much harm and havoc God delusion can bring to humanity. It is not just about hearing old stories about how God sanctioned and even commanded slavery, genocides, plagues, jihads, stoning to death of non-virgin wives and gays, we cannot in good conscience, continue to say “Oh that was days of old”.

In recent years:

We have seen innocent people beheaded in the name of God to the shouts of “Allahu Akbar”.

We have seen children blown up in schools in the name of God.

We have seen young girls kidnapped and married off in the name of God.

We have witnessed young girls shot in the head for daring to seek an education.

We have seen people blowing one another up because of God‘s promised land to his ‘Chosen people’.

We have seen lesbians, gays, bisexuals and Trans oppressed, bullied, forced to commit suicide, thrown in jail, and even stoned to death all in the name of God and Religion.

We have seen women denied equal rights because the word of God says women must be submissive.

We have seen women denied the right to have an abortion even when the life of the mother is in danger because, well God, and soul.

We have seen right before our eyes, wars and suicide bombings induced by people fighting over whose God is better.

We have seen these atrocities, discrimination, and oppression being justified with quotes from the very book we look up to as the perfect word of God.

We have seen with our own eyes just how people who make us believe absurdities can make us commit atrocities. So, why, oh why do we still want to continue to hail a supreme being whose records of accomplishments only lead to hate, wars, genocides and sadism.

Why do we want to continue to hold in high esteem a God whose very words in Matthew 10:34-35 says

Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.

Why do you still think in this 21st century, you should enter a New Year with a God Delusion and a religion that glorifies violence?

Every day, people especially innocent children, suffer and die in pain from preventable diseases without God giving a toss.

Where was God when millions including children starved to death due to famine?

Where was God when millions of people died from Malaria?

Where was God when thousands died of Ebola?

Science has been there for humans since evolution, Science is still there for humanity. Dedicated people through the process known as Science are developing and providing vaccines to prevent and treat diseases thereby making our lives better. Science is busy searching for a cure for Ebola and Scientists are working round the clock to fight cancer, HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, Malaria, heart diseases etc. Jesus might have allegedly fed a crowd with magic, but scientists like Norman Ernest Borlaug, provably fed billions using a scientific method. It does not take rocket science to know who the real hero is.

People are the ones making the world better, not God.

We, the people, are all we have. We are our own salvation, destruction, and hope.

We must learn to take pride in our achievements.

We need to take responsibilities for our actions and inaction.

We need to appreciate the power we possess as humans and not attribute our successes or misfortunes to a mythical Skydaddy or devil. These supernatural mythical beings are figments of fervent imagination of some uneducated people, which have been passed down to us for centuries. Surely, it is time to let it go and set ourselves free from fables.

We need to break free from the delusion that there is a God up above watching over us.

We are not kids; we don’t need a Santa Claus delusion.

We are our own heroes; we should stop looking up into the sky for a superhero in the garb of a skydaddy.

From the scientists looking for cures for the dreaded Cancer, Ebola and HIV/AIDS to doctors, nurses, philanthropists and our caring neighbours, we are all we have; God has no stake in this. It is sad that Doctors do all the work and an invisible Sky Daddy gets all the praise! When we realised that only us can save us, we can stand up and take responsibility. The sooner we realise that there is no God or Devil, the better for us all as we can start harnessing all our potentials.

We limit ourselves by wallowing in the delusion that there is a God watching over us, taking records of all our good and bad deeds, taking attendance at church services and stoking the flames of hell-fire for unbelievers. As adults, do we need imaginary heroes and villains when there are enough heroes and villains living amongst us? It is time to say goodbye to God delusion and Religion.

Why not take that step today. You can make it your New Year resolution.

Doing away with God and religion is a huge step. For many of us, it is what we were born into, indoctrinated with and all that our society has taught us. It is a daunting task breaking free from such a heavy chain. However, you can. We can. Together we can break the chain.

I will be starting a YouTube video and blog series titled “How moral is your God?” The series will focus on examining God through the prism of humane morality. Let us take the steps together to put God under a humane morality microscope. While morality is subjective, there are basic humane moralities that we all subscribe to and which we use to assess and even judge people in our daily lives, can your God live up to these basic moralities?

No decent person would hold a villain up as a worthy role model. If God fails the humane morality test, why continue to hold him up as a role model? If your holy book fails the humane morality test, why continue to hold it up as a perfect book? Nothing should be used to justify hate and discrimination, certainly not a book that professes ‘Love thy neighbour’. The bible and the Quran can be used to justify slavery, racism and sexism. It takes a book of hate to give room for hate and provide a platform to justify discrimination. Is your ‘Holy’ book a book of Love or a Book of Hate?

To set ourselves free, we need to emancipate ourselves from mental slavery. Anything that is holding us back from freeing our mind is an obstacle that we must overcome. To be truly free, we must be free to think and question.

It is a New Year, let’s do humanity a favour, let’s break the yoke of religion.

Above all, do yourself a favour; break free from God delusion.

Here is wishing all earthlings, specifically humans, a God and religion free Happy New Year!